Ambition
by silverwolf303
Summary: Ambition is the drive to success, is what Streamkit was taught to believe. She is determined to fulfill her own wishes and beat her rivals, but when trouble arises amongst the Clans, how will she balance the race to success with survival?
1. Allegiances

**Hey guys! This is my first fanfiction. Please review!**

 **Allegiances:**

 **RiverClan:**

 **Leader:** Splashstar - grey she-cat with amber eyes

 **Deputy:** Mosstail - black and white she-cat with blue eyes

 **Medicine cat:** Nettlefoot (Apprentice: Leopardpaw)

 **Warriors**

Owlpelt - brown tabby tom with blue eyes

Fleetfur - lanky white she-cat with pale yellow eyes

Frostpool - light grey she-cat with icy blue eyes (Apprentice: Nightpaw)

Blueclaw - blue-grey tom with green eyes

Brightmoon - yellow tabby she-cat with bright amber eyes

Mudpelt - dark brown tom with light brown eyes (Apprentice: Foxpaw)

Icefoot - white she-cat with one grey front paw with green eyes

Branchclaw - brown tom with green eyes

Beewing - yellow tom with dark, almost black amber eyes

Poolfur - light grey tom with honey-colored eyes

Flowercloud - brown she-cat with pinkish-amber eyes (Apprentice: Grasspaw)

Pinefeather - grey tom with dark green eyes (Apprentice: Stonepaw)

 **Apprentices**

Nightpaw: black tom with grey eyes

Grasspaw - light yellow she-cat with green eyes

Stonepaw - dark grey tom with blue eyes

Foxpaw - russet tom with blue eyes

Leopardpaw - golden she-cat with blue eyes

 **Queens**

Silverbark (Branchclaw) - silver tabby she-cat with pale blue eyes

Dovetail (Mudpelt) - light grey she-cat with dark blue eyes

 **Kits**

Streamkit (Silverbark) - silver she-cat with green eyes

Snowkit (Silverbark) - white she-kit with bright blue eyes

Lionkit (Silverbark) - light brown tom with pale green eyes

Stormkit (Dovetail) - dark grey tom with light blue eyes

Nectarkit (Roseheart; fostered by Dovetail) - honey-colored she-cat with blue eyes

 **Elders**

Mintpelt - white she-cat with blind blue eyes

Fireclaw - ginger tom with bright amber eyes

 **WindClan:**

 **Leader:** Weaselstar - skinny, light brown tom with pale yellow eyes

 **Deputy:** Sandclaw - yellow tabby tom with brown eyes

 **Medicine cat:** Tansytoe - white and brown she-cat with green eyes

 **Warriors**

Gorsefoot - light brown tom with blue eyes

Plumheart - grey she-cat with purple eyes

Rainpetal - blue-grey she-cat with blue-green eyes

Ratheart - grey tom with spiky fur and amber eyes

Poppyclaw - ginger she-cat with yellow eyes

Moonfrost - pale grey she-cat with pale blue eyes

Mistcloud - white she-cat with rheumy brown eyes

Redfoot - ginger tom with brown eyes

Thrushwing - grey tom with green eyes

Daisyclaw - white she-cat with yellow eyes

Tigerpelt - ginger tabby tom with black eyes

 **Queens**

Goldtail (Sandclaw) - golden she-cat with green eyes

 **Kits**

Bluekit (Goldtail) - blue-grey she-kit with green eyes

Sunkit (Goldtail) - golden tom kit with green eyes

 **Elders**

Moosetail - brown tom with ragged brown fur and blue eyes

Lightcloud - white she-cat with green eyes

 **ThunderClan**

 **Leader:** Owlstar - light brown tabby tom with amber eyes

 **Deputy:** Nightfoot - black she-cat with dark blue eyes

 **Medicine cat:** Moontail - pale grey she-cat with misty blue eyes (Apprentice: Softpaw)

 **Warriors**

Featherpelt - brown and white she-cat with golden eyes

Crowpelt - black tom with green eyes

Leafclaw - russet tom with hazel eyes

Olivetwig - light brown tom with green eyes

Squirrelfur - ginger she-cat with pale yellow eyes

Yarrowfoot - yellow she-cat with bright blue eyes (Apprentice: Mistpaw)

Rainpool - light blue-grey tom with blue eyes

Honeycloud - light ginger she-cat with amber eyes (Apprentice: Sparrowpaw)

Hareflight - white tom with black eyes

Graystorm - grey tom with blue eyes

 **Apprentices**

Mistpaw - pale grey she-cat with light blue eyes

Sparrowpaw - russet tom with bright blue eyes

Softpaw - white she-cat with soft yellow eyes

 **Queens**

Ashheart (Crowpelt) - dark grey she-cat with green eyes

 **Kits**

Blackkit - black tom with light green eyes

Moonkit - grey she-kit with blue eyes

 **Elders**

Doveheart - pale gray she-cat with matted fur and yellow eyes

 **ShadowClan**

 **Leader:** Mousestar - light brown she-cat with green eyes

 **Deputy:** Violetclaw - grey she-cat with blue eyes (Apprentice: Poolpaw)

 **Medicine cat:** Brackenfern - brown tom with pale green eyes

 **Warriors**

Dustfeather - light grey she-cat with amber eyes

Thistlemoon - grey tom with blue eyes

Petalwhisker - white she-cat with blue eyes

Duskclaw - light brown tom with yellow eyes

Goldenear - white she-cat with one golden ear and amber eyes

Hawkmist - light brown tabby tom with grey eyes (Apprentice: Pluckpaw)

Berrypelt - dark grey tom with dark, almost black purple eyes

Redtail - ginger she-cat with bright green eyes

Leopardspot - black-spotted golden she-cat with fierce green eyes

Flamestrike - russet tom with yellow eyes

Flowheart - blue-grey she-cat with blue eyes

Whiteheart - white she-cat with light amber eyes

 **Apprentices**

Poolpaw - light grey she-cat with blue eyes

Pluckpaw - dark grey tom with green eyes

 **Queens**

Sandbush (Flamestrike) - light yellow she-cat with blue eyes

Cliffcloud (Thistlemoon) - light grey she-cat with green eyes

 **Kits**

Lizardkit (Cliffcloud) - grey tom kit with green eyes

 **Elders**

Patchfur - calico tom with green eyes

 **I will update as soon as possible!**


	2. Finally!

Streamkit yawned as she woke up, gazing around camp. She felt her mother's steady rise and fall of breath next to her, and saw her brother and sister sleeping soundly. She watched them for a second, then poked her sister Snowkit impatiently.

"Aghfaga?" mumbled Snowkit, opening her eyes blearily.

"Come on, wake Lionkit!" mewed Streamkit excitedly in a hushed tone as to not wake the other cats.

"Why?" asked Snowkit.

"Branchclaw's gonna show us around camp when he gets back from the dawn patrol, and it's about time for them to come back," answered Streamkit. She watched with satisfaction as Snowkit's eyes rounded with wonder.

Snowkit prodded Lionkit until he woke up. "What?" he grumbled, sitting up.

"I'm taking you around the camp today," chuckled a low voice from the entrance. All three kits looked up and squealed in excitement at the sight of their father, Branchclaw.

Silverbark woke up, glancing first at her mate then at her kits, smiling gently. "Have fun, kits." Streamkit nuzzled her mother lovingly as she left for prey. The sight of the food made Streamkit hungry, but she wanted to see the camp.

"Let's go!" said Streamkit eagerly.

Branchclaw took the kits to the warriors den first, telling them to be very quiet as to not disturb the warriors. The apprentice's den was next, and Streamkit knew she would be there in three moons. Of course, Streamkit had already explored these places, but this was her first official tour. They saw the medicine cat's den, where Streamkit and her siblings had never been to. The medicine cat, Nettlefoot, glanced up and waved her tail happily. The gray she-cat went back to her herbs, which Streamkit found intriguing, but she didn't want to be a medicine cat. Finally, they stopped outside the leader's den, but did not go in. They had skipped the elder's den as the kits had gone there countless times for stories. Branchclaw dipped his head respectfully as Splashstar came out.

"Good morning, Splashstar," greeted Branchclaw.

"Good morning, Branchclaw. I see your kits are finally taking a tour rather than exploring and wrecking things," said Splashstar, but her voice was laced with humor.

Branchclaw chuckled. "Indeed."

"How is Silverbark?" asked Splashstar. The leader was Streamkit's mother's sister, and it was easy to see the similarities between their face shape, tail length, and adventurous spark in their eyes.

"She's doing well. Quite restless, actually," said Branchclaw. "She loves our kits, but wishes to be out and about in the forest soon."

Splashstar tilted her head. "Well, soon the kits will be able to eat solid food, so surely she will be able to start her duties again, slowly of course, once that happens."

Bored with the conversation, Streamkit snuck away, her siblings on her tail. They crept into the elders' den. The two mates were curled together, still sleeping.

With a nod at her siblings, Streamkit leapt and pinned Flameclaw's tail down, purring with satisfaction. Flameclaw's eyes popped open.

"Who dares–" snarled Flameclaw, then saw the kits. "Oh, you again," he muttered, but his eyes were amused.

Mintpelt was pinned down by the other two kits. "Oh no, you've defeated me again!" she purred, and Snowkit and Lionkit jumped off triumphantly.

"Of course we did! Did you rogues really think you could defeat the mighty RiverClan?" boasted Lionkit, puffing his chest out.

"We're really sorry!" whimpered Mintpelt, and lowered her head and tail submissively. Her mate followed her lead.

"And RiverClan wins again!" crowed Streamkit, imagining cats beneath the rock she stood on chanting her name, but with "star" at the end. She had always wanted to be leader, and was determined to achieve her goal.

The elders sat up. "I think I hear your mother calling for you two," said Flameclaw, tilting his head, one ear perked. Streamkit listened closely as well, hearing her mother call her and her siblings' names.

"Thanks for playing with us," smiled Streamkit. She exited the den and followed Snowkit to the nursery.

"Oh, there you are!" cried Silverbark. "What a mess you three are!"

Streamkit looked over her pelt and saw the matted mess. She started on the knots as her mother started licking Snowkit roughly. Her sister flinched away but didn't leave.

"Hey, Streamkit! Wanna play moss ball?" Streamkit turned and saw her denmates, Stormkit and Nectarkit waving her over, a wad of moss under Nectarkit's paws.

She'd never known what happened to Nectarkit's mother, Roseheart. She simply knew something bad had happened, and her mate, Beewing, still grieved greatly.

"Sure!" Streamkit called, working out the last of the mud and giving her pelt a once-over before scampering over to join her friends.

* * *

Two moons later, it was time for a warrior ceremony for Foxpaw and Grasspaw. Streamkit slept right through it, but heard that Foxpaw had become Foxtail and Grasspaw was now Grasscloud. She purred. She would never admit to anyone how much she liked Foxpaw–no, Fox _tail_.

"One more moon, and we'll be apprentices," murmured the kit dreamily.

The last moon passed in a blur. Streamkit was suddenly ushered into the nursery and was given a fierce wash by her mother.

"What's going on?" asked Streamkit.

"Our apprentice ceremony, mouse-brain!" said Lionkit, grooming his thick fur.

 _Oh._ She had completely forgotten.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather around the Log!" called Splashstar, and the cats moved and assembled before the Log, a sacred trunk for announcements.

Silverbark nudged Streamkit and her littermates toward the center where a small clearing was. Streamkit wriggled through the crowd to the space.

"These kits have reached the age of six moons, and are therefore ready to be apprenticed. Lionkit, step forward." Lionkit swallowed, and moved forward. Splashstar gazed down at him with warm eyes.

"From this day on until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Lionpaw. Your mentor will be Fleetfur." Splashstar smiled down at her daughter. "You are a brave warrior, Fleetfur, and I hope you will pass on your good qualities to Lionpaw."

Lionpaw touched noses with the white she-cat. Then the pair melted back into the crowd.

"Snowkit." Splashstar turned to the next kit. Streamkit shivered. She was next!

"From this day on until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Snowpaw. Your mentor will be Icefoot. She is a kind but strong cat, and I hope she can pass these qualities on to you." Another she-cat stepped forward, and touched noses with Snowpaw.

"Streamkit." _Here we go_. Streamkit took a deep breath before stepping forward assertively. She thought about who her mentor would be, but her thoughts were interrupted by Splashstar's words.

"I will be your mentor." There was a ripple of murmurs. After all, Splashstar was kin. But the she-cat was kind, and Streampaw was grateful that she'd gotten her. She touched noses with the leader, then stepped back next to Snowpaw, who gazed at her with wide eyes.

"Wow! Congrats," she whispered, as loud cheers erupted from the cats.

"Lionpaw!"

"Snowpaw!"

"Streampaw!"

Streampaw felt a rush of warmth as she heard those words. She saw her parents, proud expressions on their face as they chanted loudest of all. She looked to the right, and met Foxtail's eyes for a split second before she broke away, her skin hot with embarrassment but... something else. Something joyful.

She looked again, and met his gaze again. This time, she held it. _Wow_.

* * *

 **So this was like an intro sort of thing. There'll be a lot more, I know this is boring. But I needed to get this out of the way. I promise the next chapter will be more interesting! Please review :)**


	3. Adrift in a Hurricane

**Lucky Cat Girl - Yes! I have lots of plans for the future of the story.**

 **xXHollywishXx - Really? I didn't notice any when I was proofreading, but I'm not very good at that.**

* * *

Streampaw narrowed her eyes as she scanned the forest, her nose alert, her mouth slightly open. _There!_ She lowered into a hunting crouch, her tail slightly above the ground, concentrating on her pawsteps as well as her prey. Silently, she crept forward.

An alarmed squeak abruptly cut off filled Streampaw with satisfaction as she thanked StarClan for the mouse.

"Very good," said a voice approvingly from behind her, and Streampaw whirled around to face her mentor, Splashstar. Streampaw dipped her head in thanks, following her mentor to the bush in which they had hidden the rest of their prey. The rest of their patrol was waiting.

Streampaw picked up the squirrel she had caught, lugging it back to camp with the mouse tail in her jaws. Splashstar carried a pigeon and a small shrew, and Snowpaw, along with her mentor, each carried two mice.

Just before camp, Streampaw paused. She had caught a whiff of something, but the scent had disappeared under the aroma of her prey. She set down her squirrel, noticing that Splashstar looked just as tense.

"Stay here," ordered Splashstar. "Don't go anywhere. Icefoot, come." The leader waved her tail, signalling for the gray she-cat to follow.

The apprentices sat down, wondering what to do.

"Should we go into camp?" asked Streampaw.

"No, Splashstar told us to stay here," said Snowpaw.

Streampaw stood up and paced with impatience. She was a restless cat and couldn't stand not knowing. "Stay here," she hissed to her sister.

Snowpaw's eyes widened. "No, Streampaw–" But Streampaw had already leapt into a patch of mushrooms to disguise her scent, and leapt onto the nearest tree. Streampaw climbed up swiftly, taking a breath as she balanced.

She leapt to the next tree, relief surging through her as she felt her claws sink into the bark. In this fashion, she followed Splashstar and Icefoot's faint scent from the ground to the border.

She peered down and saw Splashstar standing over two rogues, their paws raised in defeat.

"What," said Splashstar, her voice cold, "Are you doing here?"

The scratched brown she-cat tilted her head, staring defiantly into the leader's eyes. "That is not for you to know."

Splashstar snarled in frustration, slamming her paw down with so much force, both cats flattened their ears in fear.

"Never mind," she said. "Come." She led them with her tail curled around the she-cat's neck, leading them slowly away. Icefoot did the same with the black tom.

Streampaw silently made her way back to Snowpaw, her heart beating fast. _Just what were those rogues doing?_

She managed to make it back long before Splashstar did.

Snowpaw glanced up as she came down. "You smell awful."

Streampaw sniffed her pelt, scenting the mushroom. What would she say to Splashstar about that?

An idea popped into her mind. She shoved her sister into the mushrooms, then pulled her back up. "Stay quiet, and let me do the talking," she hissed.

When Splashstar came back, with the two apprentices' fur ruffled, she had a bewildered expression on her face, but she still kept an eye on the rogues.

"What were you doing?" she asked. Her voice was not angry, simply confused.

"We got bored, so we were playing and rolled into the mushrooms," Streampaw said, appearing sheepish. Snowpaw followed her lead.

Once the older cats left and the apprentices were sent to collect the prey, Snowpaw spoke. "I can't believe you lied to the _leader!_ "

"Hush," answered Streampaw. Snowpaw rolled her eyes.

* * *

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather by the Log!" yowled Splashstar. Streampaw and Snowpaw bolted to the front of the gathering crowd. "Today, we met two rogues who we believe have very important information for us. My senior warriors and I have discussed this, and we will keep these two cats in our camp until either we take matters into our own paws or they fess up to what they are doing," announced Splashstar.

"Oh, um, Splashstar?" said Nettlefoot. She made a gesture with her tail.

"Oh, right!" The leader shook her head. "Leopardpaw found that Drift, the brown she-cat here, is pregnant with Hurricane's kits. She will be under our protection, but she is still to be guarded over just as carefully as her mate."

There were murmurs of agreement from around the camp. "Should we make a separate den for them?" asked Frostpool, her head tilted.

"Yes, and we will have one guard for half the day, and another for the second. During the night, we'll have two guards," said Splashstar decisively. "Flowercloud, Grasscloud, and Branchclaw, get started on the den. The rest of you, please resume your duties." With a wave of the tail and a leap off the Log, the meeting was over.

Streampaw padded over to the prey pile and carried a mouse to where her littermates were settling down with their own food. She tore into the mouse, relishing the meat. She didn't see the figure standing above her before Lionpaw prodded her. She glanced up and saw Drift watching her.

"Can I help you?" asked Streampaw curtly, but not unkindly.

"Yes, um, I don't know if we should intrude and eat your prey. What should I do?" asked Drift.

Streampaw flicked her tail lazily, but got up and fetched a small rabbit. "Share this with Hurricane."

"Why such a large piece of prey?" asked Snowpaw, wrinkling her nose up.

"It's two grown cats, and she's pregnant," answered Streampaw.

The two other apprentices shrugged and continued eating. Streampaw licked the remains off of her whiskers before heading towards the apprentice den. The most recent apprentices, Nectarpaw and Stormpaw, were sharing tongues, chattering like starlings about the day's events. Nightpaw and Stonepaw were outside comparing their fighting moves.

She turned around and saw Brightmoon weaving around Foxtail, her tail winding around his. They talked with smiles on their faces, and Streampaw felt a shiver of jealousy. Brightmoon used to have a mate, Squirrelflame, who died defending the Clan against dogs before Streampaw had been born.

She edged closer, staying in the shadows. She knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, but she wanted to know what the pair were talking about.

"We should hunt together more often," purred Brightmoon quietly.

"We make a good team," agreed Foxtail.

Brightmoon rubbed her face against his, and Streampaw saw his tail twitch the slightest bit.

"Yes," she murmured. "A good team. And good partners. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Um, no?" said Foxtail.

Brightmoon leaned in, and Streampaw had to strain her ears to hear the yellow she-cat's next words.

"Good _mates_ ," Brightmoon whispered.

Foxtail's eyes widened, and Streampaw stifled a gasp, shoving her tail between her jaws to keep quiet.

"Come," said Brightmoon, and she guided him out with her tail through the dirtplace tunnel. Streampaw sat up, rolling her eyes. Who did Brightmoon think she was?

* * *

 **I don't know if you captured that, but it looks like Brightmoon will be quite a problem in the future! I always want to get to the action so quickly, but I know I have to wait... unfortunately, I'm an impatient person. Please review!**


	4. Warrior's Vigil

**Nothing's been working lately :/ sorry for the delay, I've been really busy.**

 **KnightLawn - Thank you!**

 **HeAtHeRDiAmOnDs - Thanks! And good idea, I will try to insert that into this chapter.**

* * *

Streampaw tasted the air, opening her jaws and letting the scents of the forest flood into her mouth.

 _There._ She spotted the squirrel and checked the wind. Once she was downwind, she stalked silently, pouncing and catching the furry rodent.

"Good job!" praised Splashstar upon seeing her apprentice. Warmth filled Streampaw from the tips of her ears to the depths of her belly.

"Thank you," she said.

The pair met up with Fleetfur and Lionpaw, who had been hunting in a separate part of the forest. Streampaw was irked slightly that Lionpaw had a squirrel _and_ a blackbird.

 _I want to be the better hunter,_ she thought bitterly, but she kept it to herself.

They headed back to camp, and Streampaw watched her mentor head back to her den.

Suddenly, she had a thought. She bounded up the path to Splashstar.

"Hey, Splashstar," the apprentice said.

"Yes?" asked Splashstar.

Streampaw paused hesitantly. "Do you think... do you think I could ever be Clan leader?"

This was a notion Streampaw had often daydreamed about. She knew most kits grew out of the ambition, but it had been five moons into her apprenticeship and she still wanted it.

Splashstar purred. "You're a skilled fighter and hunter, and you have the integrity and passion a leader has. You are a quick learner, strong-willed, and can make effective decisions easily." The leader paused. "I wouldn't be surprised if one day you _did_ become leader."

"Thank you," said Streampaw. With a respectful nod, she turned around and trotted happily back to the prey pile.

* * *

The rest of Streampaw's apprenticeship was a blur. The lake was surprisingly peaceful, only the occasional border skirmish here and there. Gatherings were boring and Stonepaw and Nightpaw had become Stonefall and Nightfeather. Brightmoon had been trying to get closer to Foxtail, but every time he pushed her away.

Streampaw twisted in midair, kicking Flowercloud, who was her partner for her final assessment, in the face. Flowercloud growled and crouched. She pounced, but turned midair towards the left where she had mistakenly assumed Streampaw would dodge to. Unfortunately for her, Streampaw had noted the angle of her paws and ears and ducked to the right a fraction of a second after Flowercloud twisted.

Flowercloud was only stunned for a moment, but that was enough time for Streampaw to pounce on her and hold her down.

"Congratulations! You're becoming a fine warrior," praised Splashstar as Streampaw let Flowercloud up. Flowercloud gave her a respectful dip of her head.

Streampaw purred. "I couldn't have done it without you," she said. The trio headed back to camp, where Lionpaw was already waiting.

The warrior ceremony took place the next day.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather by the Log!" yowled Splashstar.

The cats murmured with excitement as they gathered. Streampaw worked out the last few knots in her fur before bounding up to join her littermates. Lionpaw went first.

"I, Splashstar, leader of RiverClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn." Splashstar turned to Lionpaw. "Lionpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do." Lionpaw's voice was loud and definitive.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Lionpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Lionflame. StarClan honors your fire and determination, and we welcome you as a full member of RiverClan," announced Splashstar. She rested her muzzle on his head, and in turn, Lionflame licked her shoulder.

"Snowpaw!" called Splashstar. "I, Splashstar, leader of RiverClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Snowpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do." Snowpaw's voice was a bit quieter than her brother's, but it was still very certain.

"Then by the power of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Snowpaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Snowflight. StarClan honors your loyalty and strength." Again, Splashstar lowered her muzzle to Snowflight's head as the former apprentice licked Splashstar's shoulder.

"Streampaw," said Splashstar. Streampaw stepped forward and met her mentor's eyes. They were filled with pride, and Streampaw relaxed.

"I, Splashstar, leader of RiverClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn." Splashstar met her eyes again. "Streampaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Streampaw was filled with a rush of excitement. "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Streampaw, from this moment on, you shall be known as Streamfeather. StarClan honors your intelligence and wit." Streamfeather felt Splashstar's muzzle touch her head. "I'm so proud of you," Splashstar whispered. Streampaw licked her shoulder, and they broke apart.

"Thank you," she whispered back. "It was an honor."

"Lionflame!"

"Snowflight!"

"Streamfeather!"

Streamfeather turned around, meeting her parents' happy eyes. She made a mental note: _Next goal, get an apprentice._

* * *

Streamfeather struggled to keep her eyes open after the long vigil with her siblings. She turned around as she heard the padding of paws.

"You may now speak," said Splashstar.

Streamfeather smiled. "Thanks."

The trio bounded to the warrior den, where they found three spots in a sort of triangle. She saw Nectarpaw and Stormpaw padding over with clumps of moss in their jaws.

"Thank you," said Snowflight. She sent away the apprentices, and the three new warriors began making their nests.

Snowfall had the nest closest to hers. When Streampaw looked the other way, her breath quickened. The nest was by hers was covered in Foxtail's scent. Sighing, she curled up, facing her sister as she fell asleep.

* * *

 **Oops, I forgot the rogues... they'll come in next chapter because I'm too lazy to edit this one. I'm hoping to speed things up and start getting to the action in the next chapter.**


	5. Lies

**I took a break, sorry! I need to fix some mistakes from the other chapter...**

* * *

It had been four moons since the rogues had moved in, and they were treated like Clan members. Splashstar had given them warriors names: Driftwing and Windclaw, as everyone agreed inserting "Hurricane" into a warrior name was too much. Their kits had been born, three healthy, beautiful kits. The she-kit was the oldest and protective but adventurous like her father, with her mother's brown pelt. Her eyes were icy blue like her father's but as wide and curious as her mother's. The middle kit had Driftwing's lean frame and her brown pelt, though paler than hers, but his eyes were more narrowed like his father's, with the icy color but warmth of Windclaw's. The color was yellow, which was neither of his parent's, but Driftwing explained it was probably because both Windclaw's mother and her father had yellow eyes. The final kit had Driftwing's amber eyes and tall ears, but had his father's sturdy frame and black pelt.

The former rogues had received mentors: Lionflame for Windclaw and Mosstail for Driftwing. Streamfeather had been disappointed she hadn't received an apprentice, but didn't argue.

Leopardleap went for the weekly checkup on Driftwing's kits. They were playing, but stopped and squealed with excitement and mock fright as the larger she-cat approached.

"It's the enemy from WindClan!" squeaked Mothkit, the she-kit.

"She doesn't stand a chance against us." Although younger than his siblings, Flightkit had a powerful voice. He stood taller and half-unsheathed his claws.

"Attack!" The middle kit, Bearkit, leapt at the medicine cat. Leopardleap pretended to stagger.

"Oh, no! Please have mercy, Bearkit!" she pleaded, rounding her eyes. Streamfeather's whiskers twitched with happy amusement.

The silver she-cat sighed and decided to go rest in her den. She turned around and almost bumped into Foxtail. She let out a whimper of surprise.

"Foxtail?"

"Hi," he said. He shuffled his paws awkwardly. "I, um, was about to go on patrol." He waved his fluffy tail towards where a group was assembling. "I was just going to join them."

"Oh. Alright." Streamfeather slid to the side, but for a moment, the two cats stood awkwardly together.

"Foxtail! There you are!" cried a whiny voice. Streamfeather's lip curled slightly as Brightmoon pulled Foxtail along. "We've been waiting! What's taking so long?" Suddenly she paused. She turned around and threw a savage warning glare in Streamfeather's direction. Streamfeather shrugged and padded into the den.

She curled up, sighing as darkness fell over the den. She heard Foxtail's patrol returning to the den, talking loudly about what happened, but Streamfeather stayed curled up until her eyes grew heavy and she fell asleep.

She was nudged awake in the morning by Pinefeather. "Dawn patrol," he whispered.

"Give me a second," she answered. She gave herself a quick groom as she headed out to meet the rest of the patrol. Nectarpool was coming as well as Icefoot.

As they trekked through the forest, Streamfeather thought about the kits in the Clan. Snowflight was expecting Nightfeather's kits, and Grasscloud had given birth to Blueclaw's. There were two she-kits in the litter: Troutkit, who had a blue-grey pelt like her father, and Sunnykit, who had a pale yellow pelt similar to her mother's.

Streamfeather was glad to see so many kits being born, especially after the Great War had left them in tatters. The Great War had occured before her birth, between RiverClan and WindClan. Splashstar's mate and brother both died, and Nightfeather was her only surviving kit. Sometimes she would yowl in her sleep, and Nightfeather woul slip out and comfort her.

Silverbark, her mother, had lost both her parents and Branchclaw had lost his sister. Many cats had lost their mates, but Streamfeather was glad to see them moving on, such as Blueclaw. Streamfeather had heard about how her mother had been expecting during the war but sadly had a miscarriage for both kits because of an infected wound after cats broke into the nursery.

After bossy ThunderClan stopped the war, both leaders were exiled for breaking the warrior code and dishonoring their ancestors. Splashtail had taken over and become Splashstar, and the WindClan deputy Acornfoot had become Acornstar. The two made peace and parted.

The medicine cat of their Clan had died, and Nettlefoot had been forced to take on the role when she had only been half-trained. Since ShadowClan had two medicine cats, one had graciously come and trained Nettlefoot. As payment, they gave herbs and prey to Mousestar.

"Hey! Streamfeather! Wake up!" called Honeypool, waving her fluffy tail. Streamfeather quickly trotted up.

"Sorry, she murmured.

"No biggie!" said Honeypool, resting her tail affectionately on the silver tabby's shoulders. Streamfeather relaxed.

Suddenly, Pinefeather's head jerked up. The other cats scented it a fraction after he did.

 _Rogues!_

* * *

Streamfeather growled as the large brown tom resisted for a second. "Get a move on," she muttered.

Icefoot led a lean orange she-cat, and Pinefeather led the smaller black she-cat. Honeypool had raced ahead to tell the Clan.

The Clan was assembled by the Log as the cats emerged. Honeypool waved them over, and the trio brought the rogues to their leader.

"Who are you?" Splashstar's voice was even but suspicious.

Narrowing his eyes, the tom shot back, "Why do you need to know?"

Streamfeather rolled her eyes impatiently, but Splashstar kept a level head. "You're trespassing. We want to and have the right to know."

The tom hesitated, then relented. "I'm Oak. The orange she-cat is my sister, Spark, and that—" Oak nodded to the younger black she-cat "—is our friend Raven."

"Why were you on our territory?" growled Splashstar.

"We were just wandering," defended Oak.

"And you didn't smell our scent lines?" Mosstail stepped forward.

The cats glanced hesitatingly at each other, giving themselves away.

"Spies," muttered a cat in the crowd. The end of Spark's tail twitched, and Splashstar glared into the group.

"Okay, well, we heard Drift and her mate left to come here. We wanted to join." Raven spoke up.

Streamfeather could hear the obvious lie in her voice, but Splashstar seemed oblivious.

"We do need more cats," she murmured. "Very well. Like Driftwing and Windclaw, you will need to prove your loyalty and receive warrior names. You will be trained like apprentices until you pass your final assessment." Streamfeather was outraged. _How could Splashstar fall for the lies?_

But Splashstar held the ceremony. By the end, they had three new apprentices: Oakpelt, Sparkcloud, and Ravenmoon. Streamfeather had been shocked and delighted when she'd been given Sparkcloud as an apprentice, as Splashstar had said they were both nimble and speedy she-cats and that the silver tabby was the perfect cat to teach the rogue how to use her speed to her advantage. Streamfeather's speed was well-known throughout the Clan, but she was never arrogant about it, simply accepted she was a fast she-cat. She'd inherited it from her mother.

Oakpelt had received Blueclaw as a mentor, and Nightfeather was now mentoring Ravenmoon.

Streamfeather didn't trust the rogues, but was eager to mentor.

* * *

"I'm telling you, they're lying!" growled Streamfeather, fed up with her former mentor's stubbornness. "I could hear it, and they didn't look sincere."

"That's enough!" snapped Splashstar, whirling around angrily in her den. "I make the decisions, and I decide who joins our Clan. We need new warriors and they are strong and smart. They've been loyal this whole time. And your apprentice is one of the former rogues! Are you unhappy with her? Should I transfer her apprenticeship to another mentor?"

Streamfeather paused. Deputies needed to have mentored at least one apprentice before. "No, Splashstar. I'm just saying. You can't be too trusting. You don't know anything about them but their names and their fighting ability."

Splashstar sighed. "I'm sorry. I appreciate your concern, but I trust them, and my word is law. No more on this subject, please."

Streamfeather dipped her head and left, still disappointed. She heard a noise, and turned to the shadows. There, the three rogues were sitting in a hushed conversation, their ears pricked for eavesdroppers. They were too quiet for Streamfeather to hear, but she was certain of one thing: They were up to no good.

* * *

 **Things are happening! What's going on with those rogues? I will try to update ASAP, but I've got camp and some other things coming up, and school's starting soon... hopefully I can get a lot of writing done tomorrow though! Sorry for the delayed update, once again. Please review!**


End file.
